Shimen City, Huquan County.
60 kilometers from the city district, the Red Maple Food Factory was located in this county.
As a former state-owned enterprise, Red Maple Food Factory had its glorious days, previously serving as a supplier for the military.
When Yang Genshuo graduated, he even impersonated a student from the Food Engineering department to take the exam but failed.
However, the factory had gradually transitioned to a privately-owned joint-stock system in recent years, and its current state was uncertain.
"However, it's easier to contract out as a private enterprise."
As he drove into Red Maple Food Factory, the guard at the gate glanced at the car emblem, snuffed out his cigarette, and swiftly stood up to salute him.
"Sir, I'm looking to order some compressed biscuits. Where should I go?"
"The business office, you see over there, where I'm pointing, that's the office."
When he visited the business office to inquire about using the compressed biscuit production line, he surprisingly ran into an old classmate.
"Xu Mengqi?"
"Uh... You are... Genshuo? You've gained some weight since school, almost didn't recognize you."
Xu Mengqi was dressed in professional office lady attire, clad in black tights, gorgeous and elegantly mature. She had been the beauty of the food department during their school days, still stunning now, even... more charming.
"Hehehe~ You haven't changed a bit, still so beautiful."
"You still talk sweetly. What, you're entering the food industry now?"
"Yeah, there's a new product."
Yang Genshuo explained his requirements to his former classmate, prompting her surprise.
"A compressed biscuit with just one ingredient change? That... can be done, but the market share for compressed biscuits is quite small nowadays. Can your product make it? Don't end up losing money."
"Don't worry, I have my own sales channels."
Yang Genshuo gave a mysterious smile, with his workshop opened right at his doorstep, there was no worry about sales.
After inspecting the workshop and admiring his old classmate's practically bursting white blouse, he went through the process, paid a start-up fee of 20,000 yuan, and comfortably secured the production line.
After hauling over the Spiritual Grain, he specifically instructed Xu Mengqi.
"This wheat is a new variety, not yet available on the market, very expensive. Please handle it with care; I don't want any of these 50 pounds of wheat to go to waste."
"No wonder you're so confident... Your wheat indeed smells amazing. Don't worry! Leave it to me, you can pick up the sample in two days."
Fifty pounds of Spiritual Grain, hardly enough to fill a gap in that enormous production line.
"Okay then, I'm off. Call me if you need anything."
"Let me walk you out."
Xu Mengqi had always maintained a modest demeanor, but her expression subtly changed when the two diamond-cut headlights of the Bentley lit up.
At that moment, the image of her old classmate suddenly became mysterious and imposing.
Yang Genshuo waved from the car: "See you some other day."
"Yeah… next time I'm free, I'll treat you to a meal."
"Sure."
Roar!
The Bentley's engine roared, carrying Yang Genshuo away from Red Maple Food Factory, leaving Xu Mengqi standing there, her mind buzzing with the emblem of the little wings.
...
After handling the Spiritual Earth and Spiritual Grain, half a day had passed.
It had also been only half a day in the game, and it was now nighttime.
Yang Genshuo was about to switch to accelerated mode when he spotted something off in the screen.
At the entrance of the teahouse, three character cards were floating in the air, openable.
"What the heck!"
Had it not been for the fact that this game wasn't an online game, Yang Genshuo might have thought his network was lagging and failed to load the character models properly.
Upon zooming in on the screen, he identified the issue.
Below the three character cards, there were faint humanoid glimmers of system prompts, which could not be penetrated by the outer environmental lighting, leaving everything else pitch dark.
Yang Genshuo opened one of the character cards.
[Name: Miao Renfeng]
[Identity: Member of the Miao Family]
[Life Span: 36/95]
[Realm: Ninth Layer of the Fetal Breathing Stage]
[Spirit Root: Five Spirit Roots]
[Comprehension: 10]
[Qi Fortune: 20]
[Talent: Spiritual Object Perception (Mortal Level)]
[Skills: Five Elements Transfer Skill, Empty Handed (Refining Fire), Refraction Technique, Divine Movement Technique, Fire Spraying Skill, Spiritual Rain Skill, Entwining Skill.]
[Status: Refraction]
The other two also had the surname Miao, and their skills were pretty similar, all of them practiced the Five Elements Transfer Skill, only their cultivation was a bit lower, one at the Fetal Breathing Seventh Layer, the other at the Fifth Layer.
"Refraction Technique? No wonder we can't see… What are these three people doing outside our tea house?"
While Yang Genshuo was pondering, the three figures in a state of refraction spoke up.
"Once we go inside, find those nine boxes of Three Kingdoms Kill cards and grab them, we'll clear out."
"Big brother, Yang Shi is an operative under the Xuan Stone Sect, wouldn't this bring trouble to our family?"
"The people from the Xuan Stone Sect have left, by the time he calls for help, we'll already have the cards and be far gone... These cards sell for ten spirit stones a box on the black market, nine boxes... This gig could earn us a year's worth."
"This place is weakly defended, doesn't even have an array, we excel at stealth, come and go like the wind, they won't even know who took it."
"What if we're seen..."
"Kill!"
Hearing the three people discussing, Yang Genshuo suddenly got a shock!
Thieves were targeting his home!
And coincidentally, Yang Shi, Jiang Xiaobai, and Hu Zi were all at the tea house today!
After hosting the ancestral worship, they were sorting the supplies Yang Genshuo had brought in; Jiang Xiaobai had even prepared an account book, already filled with several large pages.
There was no time to delay!
Time to ramp up the status!
[Vitality]+[Calming Heart], directly bestowed upon the three of them.
Though it couldn't directly improve their fighting strength, it could slightly enhance their reaction speed and mindset, which was better than nothing.
Yang Shi, feeling the change in his body, immediately looked up at the ancestral tablet.
"Why would the ancestors bestow me with Blessings at this time?"
Jiang Xiaobai and Hu Zi stood up.
"I felt it too..."
"How peculiar, is this what Brother Stone mentioned about the ancestors' blessing?"
This was Hu Zi's first time receiving Blessings from Yang Genshuo.
Yang Shi's eyebrows furrowed.
The ancestors usually didn't bestow Blessings without reason, only when he was diligently training.
This must have cost the ancestors some of their cultivation.
"Something's wrong, something is about to happen, prepare for battle!"
Yang Shi had realized this while Yang Genshuo was typing.
At that moment, a line of golden characters appeared above his head.
"Thieves at the door, ill-intended visitors, I'll mark their strength and positions for you..."
It was time to confront the thieves!
Yang Genshuo would not let Yang Shi hold on to the naive hope that these people would just steal a few boxes of cards and leave, not with so many precious items in the back yard and another box of Three Kingdoms Kill cards...
These three thieves were up to no good!
Yang Shi: "Do you remember the Combined Attack Skill I taught you? Follow my lead."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Lights out."
The lights in the backyard went out, plunging Yang's Tabletop Game Tea House into darkness, but for Yang Shi and the others, this familiar place could be navigated blindfolded.
At that moment, the front door creaked open.
The three thieves surnamed Miao quietly sneaked in.
In the pitch-dark hall, the golden characters above their heads were especially visible.
Yang Shi peered through the gap in the window, and the moment he saw the comparison of strength between them and the enemy, his mind raced.
The Thirty-Six Stratagems and The Art of War by Sun Tzu began to frantically play out in his mind.